


Twist and turns

by Versolite



Category: Heartbound (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apples, Battle, Binder saving Lore again, Crying, Dark Magic, Darksiders - Freeform, Gen, Guardians - Freeform, Healer, Lore just want to save Baron okay, Mystery, Origin Story, Post-Fight, basically it was supposed to be a Binder hurtfic but my stupid writing ass was like "i NEED CONTEXT", hurtfic, i'm sorry i'm spamming about Binder aha, wounded characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25163251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Versolite/pseuds/Versolite
Summary: [Uncomplete]"I’m just being… hit, and hit, in the face, again and again, and for what? I didn’t want my best friend to disappear! I didn’t want to be in this place, in any of these… weird places! People just keep on treating me like garbage, I still have nightmares happening all the time, and this book, in my brain! For fuck sake, all I want to do is come back home! I just want to find Baron and come back home with him, that’s it!"After Lore defeated the Barghest again, he finds himself stuck in Animus. An Anomaly appears to still be around, and Binder is hurt. How can he leave this world and save his friend?
Kudos: 2





	Twist and turns

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [L'oiseau et l'ombre](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24877159) by [Versolite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Versolite/pseuds/Versolite). 



> I'm sorry for the probable translation mistakes, I'm a french speaker and tried my best with this one :') I hope you'll still like it!

It had chased him until the clearing of the forest, and now, he was trapped.

The thing in front of him, although not tired, was panting. Its body was oozing, as back then, in the nightmare maze. It had gained strength, since that last time; its single eye was staring at him, aiming its beam of violet light at him, and hitting faster and faster, without hesitation.

The boy was exhausted. His grip on the axe was losing, as he felt every attack on the creature was useless. What good do iron and wood make, against a tempest of shadows and fears, a magic made of burning horror? Every second had him fearing for his legs to give up on him, because of the tiredness or the wet grass, leaving him to die under the thing’s attacks. He could barely tackle back; he had to protect himself and, for that, he had lose on more and more ground. He had to focus and to act fast at the same time; the several burns on his body proved how impossible of a task it was.

The thing did not allow him to leave, and neither Cirsi, Ramul or even Emelio were here to help. He was surrounded by nothing but trees, a short bridge that led to a small island – a dead end – and a wooden thing the height of a payphone that he didn’t have the time to check. He didn’t have much time to focus on anything else but his enemy.

He had to survive.

He had to avoid at all cost to hurt himself against something.

He had to hold on a little bit longer and try again.

He couldn’t die here.

But despite what he  _ had  _ to do, things weren’t what he wished they were. All the friends and hope in the world couldn’t fight this abomination; he didn’t stand any chance, alone. Even the Artifact was silent, for once. Was he as scared as him, or was he enjoying this awful moment as everything terrible that happened before?

“Leave me alone!” Lore yelled, desperate. Never had his words felt as vain as in this instant.

He retreated quickly, and he felt the wooden material of the payphone thingy against his back. As his assailant came closer, he waited. When he saw the eye beginning to glow, Lore jumped on the left, and fell on his side. As he stumbled back on his knees then feet, he saw that his idea worked; the ray of magic bounced against the giant object, and the creature had to step back as well to not be hurt by its own attack. It was resting on his limbs, disoriented.

As he was silently making his way behind the beast, so he could hide among the trees, Lore had a better look on the wooden object. It looked like a huge clock, full of strange patterns. Apples, colored ceramic tiles, leaves, and-

He suddenly felt dizzy.

Binder. Every single of these patterns was looking like something Binder could own; even the clock Lore remembered using to travel until the Artifact. The old man had saved him from the creature the first time they met, and he was able to travel from one world to another. If he could appear in the Tower, he could probably do the same here, in Animus, and help him! If Lore just found a way to get the Darksider away from the clock and call Binder, one way or another…

He took a breathe, staking out the creature. His heart was beating fast; he could be discovered at any moment. He could be burnt alive, at this very place he was standing, because of any mistake. He was shaking and gritting his teeth, trying to avoid panicking. He could see the beast moving and leaving his field of view.

He had to act now.

“BARON HEY! HERE!” The glare immediately found him, and the huge form of the Darksider ran towards him. Lore didn’t move a muscle; he had a plan. He was turning his back on the lake, and staring at the creature. “Here! Come here, boy!”

He whistled. He did as he remembered Joe teaching him to. Memories of an old time, a time where his best friend was running at him exactly like now. The dog always was so happy when they went out to play together, and he was so nice. There was something not… comforting, but definitely warm, in the idea that Baron could hear him right now. A warm feeling in a despair storm.

Baron was still in this living nightmare; and Lore was going to get him out of there.

When the eye began to glow, the only thing he had to do was to run. His lungs were feeling awful, and every breathe felt like a hopeless hiccup. His eyes started to tear up, but he hit the clock and started to knock it with his fists.

“BINDER! HELP!”

He was pounding against the door. The beast screeched, and he knew he was going to die here. He was suffocating. If he… If he died there…

The window of the clock exploded, throwing Lore on the grass.

The Darksider was growling right on top of him when another scream resonated. The air suddenly filled with heat  and strong short breezes – the flapping of giant wings, and a magic Lore merely recognized.

The boy was covering his face, paralyzed with fear. He couldn’t get up from his lying position, among broken glass and blades of grass. After a few seconds, filled with noises he couldn’t identify, he managed to lift his head. The creature had retreated, attacked by a giant bird of prey whom claws were ripping its limbs. The bird countered a ray of light with a glowing fire magic. Lore was barely getting himself together. He didn’t know where the axe he let go of landed, and he knew deep down that it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t make a difference; the only thing he’d get by interfering would be hurt, or worse.

He could only watch the violent scratches of the bird. He could only hear the loud shots of the monster and the clacking of a threatening beak. The two fighters were furious, and every collision filled with a burning rage. Sometimes, the Darksider seemed to have the upper hand, and a moment after, the bird had regained strength and could, despite his lightweight body, push his enemy away. Lore grit his teeth when the Darksider suddenly threw his savior on the ground, but the bird managed to stand up again, his eyes glowing with flames Lore recognized. The rays of fire melted a part of the creature’s shoulder, making it screech with the voice of hell.

At that instant Lore’s brain, until now bombarded with information, clicked.

The bird was Binder.

Binder had flown to his rescue.

Lore’s heart was beating in his throat. A cold shiver ran on his skin, before he could realize what he had just understood implied. These blood-curdling shrieks, these attacks on equal footing with the Darksider’s, this violence, all of that was coming from Binder. Lore had gone through a lot, since Baron’s kidnapping, but he was still terrified. Never had Binder been anything but a sweet, calm and friendly old man to Lore, and the boy was stunned at how strong of a Guardian he was appearing.

_ Leave… _

The voice made him jump. It was the Artifact’s writing; if he could have simply thrown him away like before, Lore would have done it, but all he could do was ignore the voice, even when it became more malicious:

_ You almost died. Leave now before it attacks you again… _

“Shut up”, he whispered, tensed. The book’s silence didn’t last long:

_ Imbecile. _

Lore heard a crack sound, and his eyes widened. A painful howl resonated, and without thinking, the boy looked for his axe. He saw it among the clock’s glass splinters and got on his feet to grab it. When his eyes went back to the fight, he felt his courage giving in. Binder had no longer the advantage of surprise on his side, and although he could strike back for a while, he now was having a limp. The messed up feathers of one of his wings made the boy believe it was broken.

Lore didn’t think twice before running to his help.

He was furious. Nothing was making any sense, from this fucking Artifact poisoning his thoughts to all these unfair situations. He was scared, for himself, Baron, Binder. He didn’t want to lose anyone. He was full of sorrow, and this sorrow could erupt at any second.

Only these emotions gave him the bravery he needed to hit with his axe, and feel the flesh tearing up under the blade.

A white light blinded him. When he could open his eyes again, he saw Baron in front of him. Lore’s knees gave up on him and he took his best friend in his arms. Just to have him close. Just a moment.

“Baron, I’m so sorry…” The apparition soon was fading against him, and he felt it being replaced by a small warm light, the same he saw back in the Tower. He knew at this instant he just found another fragment of Baron. There was just one left.

But despite everything, this prospect was leaving him completely impervious.

It felt like he had stayed in that pose for days, before he found the energy to get back on his feet. He couldn’t figure out exactly how, but he knew the thing tearing him down inside was soon going to emerge. He soon would hit, too. He would yell, and destroy, hurt something or someone.

He came to his senses and looked back to see where Binder was.

The Guardian had sprawled against the closest tree, his broken wing resting against his belly. While stepping closer, Lore realized his feathers were burned for most, or covered in blood, on his chest. The boy hesitated: after what he had witnessed, he wasn’t sure approaching him was the best idea. He had to find Cirsi, she was the only doctor he knew around there; but he couldn’t help but whisper, his voice cracking: “B… Binder…?”

The bird’s eyes opened. Lore realized it was an owl, a giant owl, whose plumage was brown and eyes dark with gold-like pupils. The Guardian slowly blinked.

“Everything is fine, Lore…”, he said. While his voice sounded ethereal in the Tower, there was some peaceful melody in it now, something feeling like the whole world of Animus. It was low and obviously weaker, though, because of the injuries. Binder didn’t lie, back in the Tower: the pages definitely had some impact on his form. “You did it... You found another fragment.”

Lore nodded nervously “You’re hurt. I have to bring you to Cirsi.

\- I don’t know who you are talking about, but it’s… impossible… I do not have the right to interact with the inhabitants of a page when there isn’t any anomaly around.” Lore tried to speak up, but Binder made a meaningful gesture with his good wing. “And we soon will leave this place, anyway.. It’s just a matter of seconds, from now on.

\- Are you gonna be okay…?” Lore stammered.

“Of course”, The Guardian replied with a joyful tone.

Lore hesitated, but finally sat down. He needed to rest from what just happened. Binder slightly moved when he saw the burns on the boy. 

“You are hurt too, Lore. You should try and find a ledger to rest, alright?”

The boy nodded again. After a long silence, he frowned: something was wrong.

“We don’t seem to be leaving the page, do we…?”

The Guardian took a few seconds to get the implication. He lifted his head; his bird appearance didn’t allow him to show as much emotion as his human form, but the way he stayed still, looking at the surroundings, was enough to give away how puzzled he was. “We do not, indeed”, he admitted.

\- Binder, you were saying that pages are supposed to close when we get rid of anomalies. Does that mean…?

\- There is still one somewhere around here… I didn’t think about it… Oh!” He seemed to understand something. “It’s another one, a… a different kind that Baron’s… I… I suppose it must be quite ancient…

\- Ancient?

\- Yes. It is like a… how could I say… a spirit keeping this place, but an odd one. It must be the reason why Animus is in my manifestations’ book… you took a look at this volume, I think, back to the Spine?

\- Does that mean that we’re stuck here?”

Binder lifted his wing again, shaking his head “We are not, Lore. We… We still can go back to the Spine through the clock I have got here. But it… it means we will have to find a… another way to go back to the junction of the three pages where Baron’s fragments went…

\- And how long will that be?” Binder was slightly frowning. He seemed lost in his thoughts. “Binder?

\- Excuse me, what were you saying?

\- Finding a way to get back to the junction, how long will that take?

\- Some time, I am afraid… I will have to check the Spine’s clock can take you to a place… a safe one, this time… and…

\- How much time?” worried Lore frenetically. “How much time do we even have left?!

\- I am not certain…

\- You’ve got to be kidding me!!”

Lore took several steps and violently hit the trunk of a nearby tree. The Guardian stared at him, confused.

“I did all of that for nothing?? I went as fast as I could around all these places and now, what? I’ve got to turn around? I don’t even know what’s happening to Baron right now!!

\- He’s… You already found two of his fragments, Lore, he… he is with you r…

\- He’s  _ not ! _ It’s not my friend, it’s just… lights!

\- Lore, please, you… you must calm down… there must be other solutions… We’ll figure this out…

\- I’m sorry, Binder, but I just can’t take this anymore. I’m sick of staying calm. I’m just being… hit, and hit, in the face, again and again, and for what? I didn’t want my best friend to disappear! I didn’t want to be in this place, in any of these… weird places! People just keep on treating me like garbage, I still have nightmares happening all the time, and this book, in my brain! For fuck sake, all I want to do is come back home! I just want to find Baron and come back home with him, that’s it!”

He turned away to sob. He thought tears would never stop: every time he tried to stop crying, the image of Baron was crossing his mind like a cruel memory.

“Lore… Come here.” The boy turned his head to see Binder. The Guardian was lifting his wing, not to interrupt, but as if he was opening his arm for him. “Unless you prefer not to be hugged, which I would understand.”

The boy chose to sit next to him to rest against the Guardian’s good wing, avoiding putting his head on his wounds. Binder closed his wing on the boy’s shoulders. “Everything will be okay, Lore. You are on the good path, and you’ve done a lot already. I will not give up on you, alright?

-Alright...” He wasn’t believing it now, but there was a confidence in Binder’s tone that was able to get to him. He wiped off his tears and his nose with his sleeve. “Thank you.

\- I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have a tissue for you.

\- It’s okay” the boy smiled. He took his face in his hands and cried all the tears he had.

Crying made him feel better, and now, as he was resting against Binder’s wing, he could only feel the painful tightness of his burns and the tiredness of the fight. He blinked; the Guardian’s head was slowly falling down as he was falling asleep, and Lore himself was starting to close his eyes way too regularly. It took him an effort to get up.

“We can’t stay here.

\- I agree”, nodded the Guardian. “We… we have to find the anomaly’s source, and take care of… erase it from here. Have you met something or… or someone who could put us on the right track…?”

Lore confirmed. Rhode had had a strange behaviour, when he went to look for eggs with her. Actually he was even doubting it was her. “We should search in the forest, in the west side.

\- Let’s do it, then.”

Lore took a look at his friend. Binder seemed weaker and weaker, and the boy was starting to feel concerned about his injuries. He knew he had to hurry, for Baron, but at the same time, he couldn’t just drag the Guardian in this adventure, right after Baron’s Darksider put him in that state.

“Actually, I’m gonna take care of that on my own. If I ask Cirsi she maybe will take care of your wounds. She already did with me when I got here.

\- Judging by your state... you should probably ask for her help too.

\- I’ll be okay” replied Lore with a smile. “There are loads of ledgers around here.”

The Guardian shook his head in approval.

“You think you can walk?” asked Lore.

Binder seemed uncertain, but tried, getting balance on his claws. Lore ran to help him when he saw him bend. He was more light-weighted than he appeared, and it wasn’t too much of a task to leave the clearing to follow the path until Cirsi’s home. Lore knew he took the right decision, when he realized the more they were progressing, the less the Guardian seemed able to put a foot in front of the other. His broken wing was trailing on the ground, and only with cautiousness they could avoid the leaves and stones laying here and there in the grass.

When they got close enough to see Cirsi’s house, Lore called the doctor’s name, “Cirsi! Are you here?” The Guardian had a weird grimace, as the boy saw a familiar shape at the window. Soon, Cirsi got out, running at them:

“Lore! You alright? Where’s the beast you were talking about?” She gave the Guardian a suspicious look.

“We managed to… err, eliminate it. I found Baron’s fragment that was around here, but I need your help. Binder is…

\- What are  _ ya _ doing here?”

She wasn’t talking to him but, surprisingly, to the Guardian, who seemed extremely embarrassed. Lore couldn’t understand: 

“Huh, you know each other?

\- You betcha! I recognize an apple stealer when I see one!

\- What..?” Lore looked for a hint of disagreement in Binder’s face, but instead, the Guardian was simply looking away.

“I… should probably go back to my clock…

-Wait, Binder, did you actually steal apples from Cirsi??

-Technically I did, but…

-I saw that ol’ bird in my garden, months back” the doctor groaned. “Never seen him before, and when I went to ask him what he’s doing, he just ran away with one of my fruits!

-It’s more complicated than…

-More complicated?! You want me to complicate things for you???

-I…

-We should probably talk about that later” Lore interrupted. “Cirsi, Binder is hurt, I was wondering if you could…

-Are ya kidding? He steals my apples, now my medicines? You want me to give ‘im my house too?”

The way the Guardian was slowly retreating showed that he seemed fine with going back to his clock, but Lore shook his head: “Cirsi, please, I know I owe you already, but… Binder helped me defeat the creature and get the fragment, this is how he’s been hurt. And… We’ve heard there are other problems around here, in Animus. Some kind of anomalies or something. We have to get rid of it so I can leave and find the last part.

-Other problems?” The doctor seemed puzzled. “Are you talking about this thing that happened centuries ago? The shadows’ legend?

-The shadows' legend…?

-Are you referring to Olnir’s death…?” The Guardian apparently couldn’t help but speak up.

Cirsi stared at Binder “Ya know that story?

\- I used to know Olnir” he cautiously answered. “He was one of my kind, before he disappeared in mysterious circumstances. It… It is said that he was killed by a wandering spirit, but no Guardian dared to look for him… We were afraid we would end like him, killed and forgotten, so our most brave one simply took care of Animus in his place.

\- Wait wait wait” Cirsi grumbled, “are you trying to make me believe  _ you _ are a Guardian, now?

\- I’m… quite sorry I stole your apple, doctor. I very am. But indeed, I am a Guardian.”

Cirsi had a grimace. “Well yer gonna make some community work when I’ll be done with yar wounds, Guardian or not. Sheldon and Shelly ain’t that young anymore, they need a hand with some chores.

\- Oh, thanks a bill-

\- Ain’t doing that for you. I’m doing that for the young one.  _ You _ will maybe be useful here discovering what happened to Olnir. After that you’ll go back to whatever thief hole you hide in.

\- I… Of course, sure.”

She seemed satisfied, and turned to Lore “I guess yar gonna need a hand too?

\- No, don’t worry about it. I’ll manage.

\- Still, go see Emelio. He prob’bly could help with your Baron thingy. He’s hard-headed but he’s a good guy.

\- Thank you, Cirsi.”

Lore left his two friends, crossing his fingers and hoping for Cirsi not to make life tough for Binder.


End file.
